Grain-lifting device.



S. M. LUTZ.

GRAIN LIFHNG DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9. 1917.

1,287,057. Y Pafented Dec. 10, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

S. M. LUTZ.

GRAIN UFIING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 9. 1917.

1 ,287,057 Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

m: NGERIS Ptlth m. mwmumn. vmsnmnrm, r

SAMUEL M. LUTZ', 0F KINGM-AN, KANSAS.

(:rRAIN-LIITING DEVICE.

Specification of LettersrPatent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

Application filed November 9, 1917. Serial No. 201,141.

1 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL M. Lu'rz, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kingman, in the county of Kingman, State of Kansas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Grain-Lifting Devices;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

"his invention relates to new and useful improvements in attachments forgrain separators, and pertains more particularly to devices for handlingheaded grain.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device by means ofwhich headed grain may be manipulated to be fed to a grain separator. 1

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of thischaracter which is power operated, the device deriving its power fromthe machine on which it is used.

Figure 1 is an end view of a separator having my improved structuremounted thereon,

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of one of the boom supports, v

Fig. 4: is another enlarged detail view of the same portion of themechanism,

Fig. 5 is a transverse section on line 55 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 is a detail of one of the crane constructions.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 represents the. base ofthe mechanism which is mounted upon the platform of a grain separator inany desirable or suitable manner. Carried by the base 1, upon oppositesides of the machine, are the stanchions 2 which are provided with theenlarged heads 3 so as to provide com paratively widely extended topsurfaces. The stanchions 2 cally recessed to provide step bearings forbooms 4:. The booms are therefore rotatable in the stanchions 2 and attheir upper ends are guyed by means of a transverse connecting rod 5,the angularly directed guy rods 6 and forward and rear guy rods 7. Eachof the booms 4. carries a crane arm or spar 8, whose foot is heeled upona bearing collar 9 which surrounds the corresponding boom. in fixedrelation thereto above the top surfaces of the heads 3. The outer arecentrally and vertiends ofthe spars or crane arms 8 are connected to theheads of the booms 4 by means of cables 10 which are passed inadjustable relation through the blocks 11 which are carried by the boomsand spars so that the crane arms may be adjusted for height, or may belowered on to the separator when the latter is packed for transport.

Furthermore, the collars 9 are annularly provided with worm gear teeth,which are adapted to alternately mesh with the worms 12 and 13 which arefixed upon shafts 14 and 15 respectively. Said shafts 14 and 15 arejournaled in slide plates 16 which restupon the tops of the heads 3, andare yoked around the collars 9 in such a manner as to have a certaindegree of slidability. The worms 12 and 13 are mounted upon the shaftsla and 15 respectively between the bearings of the latter upon theplates 16, and therefore stand opposite the worm gears which are formedupon the collars 9, and owing to the slidable relation of the plates 16,may be alternately carried in the mesh with the worm gears. Thus, bymeans of the manipulation of the plates 16, the booms may be rotated inone direction or the other in accordance with the worm 12 or 13 which isbrought into mesh with the worm gear. In order to slide the plates 16,the latter are connected by links 17 with hand levers 18 which aremounted upon the free ends of fixed arms 19 which project from the sidesof the stanchions 2. V v I The shafts 14: and 15 are driven by means ofa counter-shaft 20 which is mounted upon the base 1 below the shafts 14and 15 and is provided with a belt pulley 21 which is adapted to beconnected to the most conven ient part of the driving power of thethreshing machine. The counter-shaft 20 is geared to the shaft 1i bymeans of a sprocket chain 22 which runs over sprockets 23 and 24;carried by the shafts 14c and 20, and the shaft 15 is also driven by'means of a sprocket wheel or chain 25 which connects the twoshafts 14and 15. Mounted upon the shaft 14 is a pair of drums 26 which areloosely carried thereon, but may be fixed thereto by means of the clutchmembers 27 which are adapted to be operated by means of clutch levers28. Cables 29 which are wound upon the drums 26 pass through pulleys 30carried by a horizontal guy rod 31 and thence through pulleys 32 on theupper ends of the booms 4, to pulleys 33 on the outer ends of the spars8, from which the cables then suspend to carry the forks 34.

In the operation of the mechanism above described, grain may be rapidlyand continuously fed to the threshing machine feeding table from stackson both sides of theseparator. Furthermore, the grain may be fed With aminimum of effort, since the lifting is entirely done by mechanicalmeans, and workmen are only required to feed the forks 34c and tocontrol the action of the fork lifting drums and the rotation of thecranes. The drums 26 are controlled in an obvious manner, while therotation of the booms 4 is occasioned by carrying one .or another of theworms 12 or 13 into engagement with the worm gears by sliding the plates16 across the head 3. Since both of the shafts l4 and 15 arecontinuously driven by means of flexible drive chains, the slightmovement which is necessary to carry the gears 12 and 13 into engagementwith the worm gear does not interfere with the continuous motion of theshafts, and the rotation of the booms l is effectively accomplishedwithout the use of a complicated reversing gear.

What I claim as my invention is l. A device of the class describedincluding a base, a plurality of booms upstanding from the base, sparscarried by said booms,-

a turningcollar mounted on the lower portion of each boom, worm gearteeth on said collars, a pair of plates mounted on the base adjacent thebooms and slidable transversely of the booms, bearings on said plates, apair of shafts extending longitudinally between the booms and j ournaledin the bearings and having their ends disposed at the sides of theturning collars, gear worms 011 the ends of the shafts adapted toselectively mesh with the teeth of said collars, means for sliding theplates transversely of the booms to selectively engage the gear Wormswith the collar teeth, and means for driving the shafts,-

2.: A device of the class described includ- Copies of this patent may beobtained for five cents each, by addressing the W h n n, 0-"

ing a base, a plurality of booms upstanding from the base, spars carriedby saidbooms, a turning collar mounted on the lower portion ofeach boom,worm gear teeth on said collars, a pair of plates mounted on the baseadjacent the booms and slidable transversely of the booms, hearings onsaid plates, a pair of shafts extending longitudinally between the boomsand journaled in the bearings and having their ends disposed at thesides of the turning collars, gear worms on the ends of the shaftsadapted to selectively mesh with the teethof said collars, means forsliding the plates transversely of the booms to selectively engage thegear worms with the collar teeth, a drive connection, between theshafts, a shaft disposed under one of the Worm shafts and a driveconnection between said shaft and the worm shaft permitting lateralmovement of the worm shaft.

3. A device of the class described includ ing a base, a plurality ofbooms upstanding from the base, spars carried by said booms, a turningcollar mounted on the lower portion of each boom, worm gear teeth onsaid collars, a pair of platesmounted on the base adjacent the booms andslidable transversely of the booms, bearings on said plates, a pairofshafts extending longitudinally betwee: the booms and journaled in thebearings and having their ends disposed at the sides of the turningcollars, gear worms on the ends of the shafts adapted to selectivelymesh with the teeth of said collars, means for sliding the platestransversely of the booms to selectively engage the gear worms with thecollar teeth, means for driving the shafts, lifting drums looselymounted 011 one of the shafts, means for clutching said drums to' theshaft and cables wound on said drums and connected with the spars.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature in the presence of twoWitnesses.

SAMUEL M. LUTZ. Witnesses:

A. A. JOHNSTON, L. D. KLEIN.

"Commissioner of Patents.

